Howlin' Good Times in the City

Title:  Full Moon City

Editor:  Darrell Schweitzer and Martin H. Greenberg

The Dish:  These are not your dreamy werewolves that are driven to protect what is theirs whether it's a mate, pack, or territory.  If you devour stories that depict werewolves as the snarling, hungry, and tortured creatures of the lunar cycle, then you're in good company.  Full Moon City is a collection of short stories by such authors as Holly Black, Peter S. Beagle, Carrie Vaughn and others.  I had heard about the book through Peter Beagle's newsletter, and with it being that time of year, I believe it was appropriate reading material. 

The first story, Lisa Tuttle's "The Truth About Werewolves", is close to my heart as it takes place in the southwest area of Houston.  Mel is a young woman that has had nothing but trouble with all of the men that she's dated in the past and has determined that this is because of her needing someone more than human.  However, this proves more difficult as Mel discovers she knows very little about werewolves and the disease of lycanthropy.  Tuttle definitely showed a means of transformation that is both believable and unique. 

In Carrie Vaughn's "Kitty Learns the Ropes", Kitty Norville enters the world of boxing when it seems that a contender of supernatural abilities has entered the ring.  This is the second short story I've read of Vaughn's, and I can't help but like Kitty as one of the first celebrity werewolves to come out in the open.  Vaughn has a way of setting up conflict without there necessarily being direct physical confrontation, and it inspires me to check out her Kitty Norville novels. 

One of the most different stories is Esther M. Friesner's "No Children, No Pets" mostly because of the point of view.  It isn't often that readers find a werewolf story told through the eyes of a six-year-old werewolf, but Friesner manages to establish that mindset through her narrator, Emmeline.  The language definitely reflects Emmeline's age especially when she spells out words as they sound as a child would.  However, the lore in the story is a bit farfetched, but for a six-year-old to be telling the story, one must keep an open mind, or at least take it with good humor. 3 is the magic number for anthology dishes, so check out the book to see more stories.

What books with bite give you the shivers?